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write your own review of the Mirage MP-1.
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WB9JOX
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 31, 2005 06:10
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great meter
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have 2 MP1 and 2 MP2 and very happy with them. Had them over 10 years.They are accurate enough for me.I would buy another one if I needed any more.
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WV4R
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 10, 2003 09:16
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my MIRAGE is Not a "mirage"...
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Back in the early 1980’s I was looking for a very large Peak reading Meter. I saw the Triplett meter on the MP-1 and fell in love. It was the original Brown Shoe meter which I repainted gloss black about ten years ago to match the newer ham look. I have no real disagreement with all the previous comments. Now that MFJ owns them, I cringe at the quality control possibilities. The unit is probably Over-priced for what you get. It would Eat batteries IF I did not always have it hooked up to the rig’s 12vdc supply. It is a Great BIG Swinging Peak meter… just like I would imagine a VU meter in a professional studio to Swing. I have compared it to my Bird43 and found it to be in the ball park on all bands. It is Remotable, like my Bird, which is a Definite Plus. After TWENTY years, I noticed the Forward/Reflect slide switch was becoming Intermittent. I took it over to KM5SB/Phred and he matter of factly said… you can’t easily replace the switch… However… you can simply swap the wires on the DPDT connectors, which are Unused, and press on. It is my Primary SSB Audio monitor in tweeking my rig/amp output. How can you give it Less than the WV4R/FIVE STAR rating for Function, Reliability and the BIG Swinging Triplett meter? 73 es God bless, murf.
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K8AC
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 10, 2002 08:17
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Large, easy to read meter
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have the older beige/brown cabinet version. While the manual says the frequency range is 2-30 MHz, the meter face says 1.8-30 MHz, and it does work properly on 160. The peak power mode requires either a battery, or connection to external 12 VDC supply. If you use a battery, make sure you turn the range switch to "OFF" when not in use since that disconnects the battery from the circuit. The meter may be calibrated for the three forward and reverse power ranges via internal miniature pots. If you insist on maximum accuracy, take the meter to a calibration lab or find someone with a recently calibrated Bird or other such meter and tweak the pots as required. The pickup or coupling unit may be mounted inside the meter case, or up to 4 feet away. The SWR sensitivity is 1-2 watts and the 25 watt scale makes it somewhat useful for QRP work. The peak reading function works very well, and accurately reads the peak power even when sending very slow speed CW dits. It works equally well following voice peaks. At the price you can find this meters for on the used market (or eBay), it's a steal.
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N4XC
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 1, 2002 09:56
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Great Meter!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Hi Guys, I am now on my second MP-1. Both have been the original Mirage, brown case, not the newer black case. I used one for many years, since the late 80's and then one day decided to get an "automatic" SWR reading meter. I bought an Autek Reasearch unit and put the MP1 on the shelf. For some reason the newer unit did not 'Feel' as good as the old MP1 but I continued to use the Autek. I put the Mirage on Ebay and sold it for around $70 bucks, kinda hated to see it go! Some time later I found another one on Ebay, from an estate sale, condition unknown. I bid on it and got it for $26.01!! On receipt, it looks and works like new! Such a deal!!! I now have it back in postion in the shack and will sell the Autek, either here or on Ebay. It works fine, just like the MP1 better. I'm still not 100% sure on the accuracy of the automatic SWR readings. I feel more confident peaking the meter and hitting reverse to see SWR. No circuits to malfunction, etc, and I guess the SWR can't be wrong unless they printed the scale wrong on the meter face! BTW, I compared it with a Bird 43, and at 1000w it was exactly the same, at 200w, about 5w difference. I can live with that! I think this MP1 will stay in the shack for a long time. Maybe I'm an old fashioned type of guy!
73, Dave, N4XC
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KE4WY
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Rating: 2/5
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Feb 10, 2002 06:09
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Outdated
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This is an outdated Unit compared to others on the market, not self calibrating swr, watt meter appeared too slow to accurately capture PEP for phone operation, pricely for what you get. Without being too negative the fit and finish along with the easy to read metering was good.
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WB8YQJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 31, 2000 13:37
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Great Meter!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Hi Guys,
I don't need my meter to have the absolute accuracy of a BIRD. I need an oversized meter that I can easily see from across the room, and
a prolonged PEP display. I have 2 MP-1's from MFJ (black), and one from the original Mirage company of Gilroy Ca. (rust colored). The fit and finish is much better on the original unit, but all three units keep me (a 100 watt user) very happy indeed. The battery lasts about 3 or 4 weeks, mine are connected to the DC supply. 73, Don WB8YQJ/6.
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PROFESSOR
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Rating: 4/5
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Aug 31, 2000 09:34
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Good for the Money...
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This meter is about 10% accurate overall and certainly doesn't stack up to a Bird or Coaxial Dynamics in that area... but for the money (about 30% what a Bird or Coaxial Dynamics cost) it has proven to be a very good meter. It's large meter is easy to read and it has a red led that alerts you that you are in peak reading mode. This red led also serves as a reminder to shut the unit off in order to preserve the life of the one 9V battery required. A very good practical compromise...
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W2EH
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Rating: 3/5
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Dec 14, 1999 10:33
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OK METER, GOOD VSWR ACCURACY.
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Time owned: unknown months
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I have used the MP1 for 4 years with my FT-990 and Commander HF-2500 amplifier, with only minor trouble. My meter works on 160 meters with a 160 meter dipole without problems. I have not experienced problems with it eating batteries, I use a 9v DURACELL Alkaline. I have blown a detector diode for the reverse power section while using 500 watts into a 40 meter dipole on 15 meters SSB. The replacement diode was obtained locally ( NE-109 ) an equivalent to the 1N295 used in the circuit. I check the VSWR calibration with a 75 watt 3dB attenuator shorted at one end, giving me a good 3.01:1 reference. ( 6dB return loss). I am always use caution when tuning up the Commander amplifier, the VSWR sensor could be a little more robust.
I have purchased an RF APPLICATIONS - VFD-HF, but I will keep the Mirage MP-1 as a standby, and portable wattmeter.
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WB4M
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 6, 1999 19:14
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Good meter, but not a great meter
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Time owned: unknown months
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I have owned a Mirage MP-1 SWR/Watt meter for a number of years now without any problems with it. It is a basic meter with no bells or whistles. It is not an automatic meter for SWR. You have to apply power, turn the SWR CAL dial to align the needle to the right, and then switch the FWD/REV switch to REV, and SWR is read then. I have had a problem with RF getting into the meter and it is sometimes difficult to set the needle to the right because it will be moving back and forth a bit. It also does not cover 160 meters.
It has 3 power ranges - 2000, 200 and 25 watt scales, and will read peak or average power. The meter is large and very easy to read. It will either use and AC power adapter or a 9-volt battery, but I must warn you, this thing EATS batteries! The "low batt" red light will begin to flicker with very little use from a fresh battery, so the AC adapter is a must. It also has a remote coupler .
Compared to some of the more recent meters that have become available, I think the MP-1 is not worth its price of $219.95 quoted in the new (winter 1999-2000) edition of the AES catalog. The Autek meter is automatic and cost almost 100 bucks less. These meters are available for use on 2-30mhz, a model for 2 meters and also a model for 440mhz. Money-wise, you will be better off with a different meter, and I would buy the Autek if I were in the market for a meter.
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